In 1998, colleague Connie van Dop asked Karin van Duijn if she might be interested in joining TPM as a secretary. Karin had just returned from a few years in Taiwan and was keen on the position. “They needed an extra pair of hands. I didn’t know that much about the TU, but I grew up in Delft. It sounded like a fun job and a nice place to work.”

In October 1998, Van Duijn started as a temp at Margot Weijnen’s research group. Soon after, a vacancy became available for the Economics of Infrastructure (EvI) Secretarial Department, for which Van Duijn applied. She was promptly hired, and officially joined the faculty in March 1999.

‘Managing’ a professor

At EvI, Van Duijn became secretary to the head of the department, Professor Bill Melody. She still remembers the first time she talked to him. “He asked me if I would be able to manage him. I told him: “I’m a working mum, why wouldn’t I be? But of course, you have to be willing to be managed.” He liked my answer, and we quickly started building a good working relationship.”

At the time, Melody was not only a professor, but also editor of the academic journal Telecommunications Policy. Van Duijn: “I started out doing a lot of work for that journal in particular. Later on, I also started doing his email and calendar management, among other things. One of my tasks for the journal was to make all the changes to articles we received. I used to do this all by hand, so it was pretty time-consuming.” 

Stress over melted spreadsheets

Other tasks, such as producing readers, were also laborious, Van Duijn recalls. “I used to copy texts from books and deliver them to the printer as hard copy. I also had to record all sorts of data about the used texts: from the wordcount to the sources of pictures. It was such a huge job. Of course, with the arrival of the internet, these things became much easier.”

But the most stressful part of the job is preparing for lectures. Van Duijn: “Many professors tend to work last-minute. So, if you have to print something for them at the eleventh hour, you sometimes run into problems. As a result of a jammed copier, for example, or a melting spreadsheet. Back in the day, they were made of plastic. Needless to say, we had a good laugh about these things.” 

Unburdening foreign researchers

In the late 90s, the first research programmes also started materialising at TPM. As a result, an increasing number of foreign doctoral students and researchers were visiting the faculty. Van Duijn: “I really enjoyed getting acquainted with all these new cultures. The researchers came from all over the world, from Iran to South Africa. It was a massive enrichment for TPM as well.” 

Having lived abroad herself, Van Duijn knew how pleasant it is when someone shows you around a ‘new’ country. And so she immediately went into helping mode. “I assisted with applying for residency permits, arranged houses and figured out where their children could go to school. I would even help people apply for child support. And I would make sure there were some groceries waiting when people arrived. These efforts were always very much appreciated.”

Linking pin and listening ear of TPM

The additional duties Van Duijn took on characterise her role as a linking pin. “It is precisely the contact with people that makes my work such fun. I greatly value building relationships and sharing experiences, both about work and private life. Looking out for each other and being there for each other.” 

According to Van Duijn, secretaries are the listening ear of the organisation. “Since we talk to lots of people, we often have a pretty good understanding of what’s going on. I also have a good eye for when someone is not feeling at ease or struggling with something. I then talk to them, well, if they want to, anyway. People should never fall between two stools.”

Campus closure: a difficult time

Van Duijn has been a secretary in the faculty dean’s office for seven years now. During this period, she experienced one of the low points of her time at the TU: the closure of campus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “It was a horrendous time. I continued to work in the building for as long as I could. TPM feels like home to me, wild horses could not drag me away.” 

In the end, however, even Van Duijn was forced to work from home. “It was such a strange experience, working via a screen only. With live meetings, I can always tell when someone wants to say something, or doesn’t understand. You don’t get these cues and body language online. All you see is lots of screens. I also really missed the social side of work.”

Setting up the new restaurant

With her cheerful disposition, energetic attitude and hands-on mentality, Van Duijn has made the faculty a more colourful place, sometimes even literally. When she saw the design of the new faculty restaurant in 2018, she immediately shot into action. “It was just so boring, non-atmospheric, and devoid of any inspiration. So, I asked my supervisors – who had already agreed to the design – if I could get involved. They were fine with that.”

Van Duijn then let her creativity run wild. “As a secretary, I’m all about the details. I felt that the decorating, in particular, needed to be different. More seating areas, bigger tables, rugs, green rather than beige on the walls, a proper coffee machine. I wanted it to be an attractive place, with a living room feel. I think we managed to achieve that effect. I often see students hanging out there, and groups of colleagues having lunch.”

A perfect match with TPM

Twenty-five years ago, Van Duijn would never have expected she would stay at TPM this long. But she has never felt the urge to work anywhere else. “TPM is simply the perfect fit for me. The informal atmosphere, the pioneer spirit, the connecting feeling. I never get bored. When I start my work in the morning, and suddenly there is a leak somewhere in the building, well then my day immediately looks completely different. Thankfully, I can switch gears quickly.”

She looks forward to watching the faculty develop in the next few years. “We have grown so fast over the years. When I started, we were all still housed in the A wing. B and C did not even exist yet. I expect us to grow out of the building before I retire, in which case we would have to move. That would be odd. I think that, just like with Covid-19, I would be one of the last people to leave the building.”